Casinos: Scott Weiland back to rock with the Wildabouts

“We finished it,” an enthusiastic Scott Weiland said in a recent phone interview about his new record, “Blaster,” the first full-length studio album made with his latest band, the Wildabouts.

“I am so happy with it,” said the former lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots. “I haven’t been this excited over an album since ‘Purple/Core.’ It’s all in our camaraderie, the way we write together. ... We’ll release it the first quarter of next year and release the first single in a month or two. We’re going to release this one by territory – the U.S., Canada, U.K., Latin America, Asia, Japan – like that, to incentivize each company to really work and promote the product. It’s the new way in the industry.”

The music business isn’t the only thing that has evolved since Weiland’s STP and Velvet Revolver days. Not that he wants those bands to be forgotten (he’s been performing songs from both catalogs), but he’s clearly all in with his latest endeavor. He calls the new album “a rock record,” adding it has an “indie-alternative feeling” but “is not too precious.”

He said its sound will appeal to fans of his previous bands.

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“My wife, Jamie, is my muse,” said Weiland, who tied the knot with photographer Jamie Wachtel last year. “A lot of the new songs are about her, inspired by our feelings. There is also a wide range of musical styles in the album. ‘Beach Pop Rock’ is a mix of the Ramones’ and the Beach Boys’ sounds, very much so. I always thought the Ramones were a souped-up, high-revved version of the Beach Boys anyhow.

“And there’s ‘Hotel Rio,’ which has a Beatles-like vibe.”

Described in recent press release as “reborn,” Weiland, who is no stranger to arrests and controversy, said he is “happy, very happy” and looking forward to his Cache Creek concert Friday as well as a Harrah’s Tahoe gig next spring.

“I have been known to play what are called adult games of chance,” he said. (9 p.m.; $45 general admission standing; $59 reserved seating; www.cachecreek.com)

Smoove ‘in the game’

JB Smoove, who is set to play Thunder Valley on Saturday, says that mastering stand-up is like improving your golf swing: You have to do it “in the game.”

Despite his success in television sitcoms like “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (“Everybody yells ‘Hey, Leon’ when they see me”) and “The Millers” (where he plays Ray) and the just-ended season of “Last Comic Standing” (which he hosted), he prefers “my stand-up where I have no plan and work with what audience I’m given, and where I just love being free.” (8:30 p.m.; $24.75, $42.75; www.thundervalleyresort.com)

Red-hot country artist Josh Turner plays Jackson Rancheria on Oct. 30. The singer of monster hits like “Long Black Train” and “Why Don’t We Just Dance” is anticipating the release of his forthcoming album, the followup to 2012’s “Punching Bag.” Its first single, “Lay Low,” was recently released on iTunes. (7 p.m.; $60, $70, $90; www.jacksoncasino.com)